


A Prize to be Won

by TheRedJennys



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Bisexual Inquisitor, Cassandra Pentaghast's Disgusted Noises, F/F, Inquisitor is cocky, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-14 13:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7173734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedJennys/pseuds/TheRedJennys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I do not prefer the company of women, Inquisitor.” She coughed, attempting to hide her blush as the Inquisitor’s face melted into one of disappointment. Inquisitor Trevelyan leaned back in her seat, taking a long swig of the amber liquid.<br/>“Of course you don’t.” she muttered under her breath. “It’s no matter. I think I can change your mind.” She said louder. Cassandra glared at her.<br/>“As if. Why don’t you just go back to chasing the noblemen and women. I think I much preferred you then.”<br/>“Hardly, my dear Seeker. They aren’t a challenge anymore, unlike you. I think I’ll accept this challenge.” The Inquisitor said with finality.<br/>“Good luck” Cassandra replied sarcastically, chugging the last bit of ale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Challenge Accepted

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everything is subjected to change. I am actually considering putting a smut in here somewhere, but I'm still not 100% on that.

There were many things you could call the Inquisitor; strong, brave, intelligent, charming, all things the people of Thedas looked for in a military leader. In front of an audience she was flawless, her birth into nobility making her a smooth-talker and giving her an intense knowledge of politics and the Game. Of course, in person, she was many other things; strong-willed, sharp-witted, childish. The Inquisitor liked to have her way, and would go off for days when she was denied. Truly the work of the nobles who gave her everything she had ever wanted. 

Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast pinched her nose in exasperation at the woman who was currently charming the pants off an Orlesian Noblewoman in the Great Hall. The Orlesian giggled and batted her eyelashes as the Inquisitor flashed her a coy grin and softly pressed her lips against the back of the woman’s hand. Many other things Inquisitor Trevelyan could be doing were much more productive than flirting with every pretty girl she saw, yet here she was.

The Seeker approached the Inquisitor and tapped her shoulder, drawing the woman’s attention away from the noblewoman.

“Do you have a moment?” Cassandra asked, annoyance lacing her voice. The Inquisitor turned back to the woman she had been flirting with and mumbled something, presumably an apology, and a promise to return, before turning her strikingly green eyes back to the Seeker, nodding. Cassandra led the younger woman away to a secluded corner of the Great Hall, turning to face Trevelyan.

“Do you not have work to be doing?” she asked, more annoyed than actually curious. The Inquisitor studied her for a moment, her green eyes boring into her own light brown ones, before her lips quirked into that pretentious smirk.

“Jealous, are we?” she queried with a laugh. Cassandra scoffed, taken aback at the gall of her superior.

“As if! I just figured you had other more important things than titillate the nobles.” She treaded carefully, knowing that her words can very easily be twisted by the blonde in front of her.

“Sure, but they aren’t nearly as fun as picking up a few of Orlais’ finest.” The Inquisitor shrugged nonchalantly. Cassandra pinched the bridge of her nose again, and wondered why Inquisitor Trevelyan was so irresponsible. The Orlesian woman from before approached them, and beckoned the Inquisitor to follow her. She shrugged and flashed the exasperated woman another bright smile, as though saying, ‘What can you do?’ and allowed the noticeably older noblewoman to lead her away while Cassandra glared holes into their backs.

The training dummy used to look something akin to a humanoid figure. It had a head, two arms, a torso, and two legs. That is, until Cassandra arrived to relieve her stress and aggravations of the day. The dummies had to be replaced nearly every day, unless the main occupant of the area was having a particularly good day. However, today was not one of those days, and late into the afternoon found the Seeker in full armor, covered in sweat and grime, hacking at one of the poor dummies as though it had been the one to offend her. Maker only knows what had her so riled up, for even the woman herself did not understand the rage that coursed through her veins.

The Inquisitor watched the older woman hack and slice at the dummies, her concentration near unbreakable. Oh, she did love to see that look upon her face, though the one time she asked to train with Cassandra almost landed her in the healing tent. It was getting late, and the Seeker had been training for hours, surely she was feeling hungry, or fatigue, or even exhaustion, but Cassandra did not betray any signs of those.

Coming out of her hiding spot, she approached the Seeker, careful to avoid the deadly weapon in the grips of a deadly woman. 

“Seeker!” She called, hoping to get her attention before she was accidentally decapitated. The mentioned woman stop her relentless attacks and turned to face the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor gave her a grin and motioned to the tavern near the training yard.

“Drink on me?” She asked hopefully. Cassandra’s bore into her, and Inquisitor Trevelyan struggled not to shift nervously under her questioning gaze. Finally, the Seeker sighed, and nodded.

“I could go for a drink.” 

The tavern was quite busy, filled with inquisition soldiers and agents who finished the day’s work. The Inquisitor managed to find a somewhat quiet corner and ordered them both an ale. Seeker Cassandra eyed her suspiciously.

“What’s wrong, Cassandra?” The Inquisitor asked innocently. 

“You don’t normally invite people for a drink.” She stated, causing the younger woman to laugh.

“No, you are correct as always, Cassandra. It recently occurred to me that I don’t know much about you. I thought ‘Well, that can’t be, she’s one of the few people I trust the most and I don’t know practically anything about her.’”

“I could say the same about you. I am trusting an almost complete stranger to lead the Inquisition to victory.”

The Inquisitor stared down at her ale thoughtfully, sloshing it around in the bottle, before leaning on an elbow on the table, her face less than a foot away from Cassandra’s.

“There are other reasons that I’d like to get to know you better, Seeker.” She confessed, green eyes peering into Cassandra’s as she smiled the same smile she uses to get her way. Cassandra leaned further back, away from those tantalizing eyes and that charming smile.

“I do not prefer the company of women, Inquisitor.” She coughed, attempting to hide her blush as the Inquisitor’s face melted into one of disappointment. Inquisitor Trevelyan leaned back in her seat, taking a long swig of the amber liquid.

“Of course you don’t.” she muttered under her breath. “It’s no matter. I think I can change your mind.” She said louder. Cassandra glared at her.

 

“As if. Why don’t you just go back to chasing the noblemen and women. I think I much preferred you then.” 

“Hardly, my dear Seeker. They aren’t a challenge anymore, unlike you. I think I’ll accept this challenge.” The Inquisitor said with finality.

“Good luck.” Cassandra replied sarcastically, chugging the last bit of ale.


	2. Lots of Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeker Cassandra is pleasantly surprised by the Inquisitor.

Cassandra honestly did not know what she expected, but it probably went along the lines of flirtatious banter and batting eyelashes. She didn’t expect to be woken early in the morning by a knocking on the door, and a giant bouquet of roses hiding a nervous elf servant.

“Lady Inquisitor Trevelyan sent these to you, ser!” The elf girl squeaked, teetering a bit under the weight of the roses. Cassandra felt both annoyed and flattered. Sure, the flowers smelled nice and were stunningly beautiful, but they would die within a few days, and make a mess of her living space. Nevertheless, she took the flowers from the struggling girl, and placed it in the corner of her room. 

“You are dismissed.” She told the servant, who bowed quickly before scampering off. Adorning her armor, and making herself somewhat presentable, she marched in the direction of the Inquisitor’s chamber, located at the end of the Great Hall. 

The Inquisitor was in her bedchambers, putting her long hair into a braid for the day, when the Seeker practically stormed into the room, as red as the fire burning in the fireplace.

“Seeker!” Inquisitor Trevelyan cried, surprised, turning around to face the woman. “Did you get the roses I sent you?” The woman in question snorted, unamused.

“Yes, they were quite lovely, but they are not at all what I expected you to do.” 

The Inquisitor’s smile faltered, but only shortly. Had the Seeker blinked, she would have missed it.

“Oh? Then what did you expect me to do?” She inquired.

“From you, I expected perhaps lavish tales of your journeys, most of which would be nothing but boasts and exaggerated tales anyway. I thought you would buy me more drinks, and flatter me with words you do not believe, basically what you do to nobles. Instead, you have bought me flowers.”

“You sound disappointed. Did you see the poem I wrote?” The Inquisitor said innocently, causing Cassandra to quirk an eyebrow, blushing. “Go look, it’s on the little note in the roses.”

Snorting, Cassandra turned around and left, leaving an amused and inspired Inquisitor in her wake. There were many ideas the Inquisitor had been tossing around in her head, but she had to first work out what kind of woman Cassandra was, and how large of a romantic she was. 

Judging by her flushed face, Trevelyan could tell that the flowers did something, even if it only flattered her. She wondered, maybe the Seeker was a sap, and liked the maudlin, cheesy things that common housewives wished that their husbands or lovers would do.

Cassandra went back to her room and dug through the roses, until she found a little piece of parchment with neat, loopy handwriting, and read it aloud to the empty room.

“Dear Seeker Pentaghast,  
Roses are red, violets are blue  
Sunflowers are yellow  
I bet you were expecting something romantic  
But I am not good at poems   
So here are some gardening facts.  
-Inquisitor Trevelyan”

There were many things Cassandra wanted to do right then, but most of the scenarios she could come up with involved her murdering the chosen Herald of Andraste. The only sane scenario was to completely pretend she did not read that and move along with her day.

Several days past in that fashion; a servant brought her flowers, each day a different breed, and she would dig and find a ridiculous note that may have sounded romantic in the Inquisitor’s head but utterly asinine and absurd in Cassandra’s. No matter what the note said, however, quelled the faint blush and the small smile that graced her face at the sight of the flowers. She was actually becoming used to the bouquets every morning. 

Then the gifts became more lavish, and delivered by the hands of the woman attempting to woo her herself. The first morning Cassandra opened the door to reveal the Inquisitor, she almost shut it in her face from surprise. A hopeful and genuine smile graced the lips of Trevelyan as she held out a bouquet of carnations and a box of Nevarran candy. The Seeker stared disbelievingly at the box of candy.

“Where did you get those?” She asked incredulously, obviously holding herself back from snatching the box out of the younger woman’s hands. The Inquisitor’s smile grew bigger and she shrugged in faux innocence.

“I am the Inquisitor and I know a guy. Try one.” She opened the box and held it out for the other woman to take one. Carefully, the Seeker plucked one from the box and popped it into her mouth. The moans coming from Cassandra’s mouth were almost sinful, and the Inquisitor found herself blushing to the tips of her ears from the noise. Nevarran candies were the way to go, apparently.

In time, Cassandra found that she rather enjoyed the gifts and the attention bestowed upon her by the Inquisitor, the chosen Herald of Andraste, even though the attention was given to her by another woman. Never before had someone attempted to woo her this strongly before.

It would take more than flowers and candies to persuade her, however.

When she knocked on the Inquisitor’s door, it was answered almost immediately by the large grin of the woman herself.

“Welcome to my bedchambers!” She said, a bit overenthusiastically, throwing her arms in the air in a showy fashion. Cassandra followed her up the stairs and into the actual room itself, where she was incredibly surprised to find stacks upon stacks of papers littering the desk and the floor around it. Trevelyan poured two glasses of spiced wine, and held out a glass for Cassandra, who accepted out of politeness.

“So, I hope that you have been enjoying my gifts?” the Inquisitor started awkwardly. Cassandra sloshed the wine around in her glass, thinking of what to say next.

“They have been…lovely. However, you should know that it’ll take more than gifts to change my mind, Inquisitor.”

“Have you been reading the notes?”

“Yes, and while they are clearly written by the mind of an absolute romantic¬, they aren’t going to be changing my mind anytime soon.”

“Yes, well, I’ll keep trying. I know I can change your mind, Cassandra, I can feel it in my heart.”

“Do you really? Or is this just hopeful thinking?”

The room went silent, save for the crackling of the fire, and Cassandra wondered if she should see herself out, if she crossed a line somewhere.

“I’ll try harder.” The Inquisitor whispered. “I know it is possible.”

Cassandra shook her head, and took a sip of wine, while Trevelyan sat beside her on the couch, and downed her own wine in one gulp.

“There are some other matters I need your help with, and your advice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am possibly the farthest thing from a romantic, so honestly I kind of researched my way through this chapter, and I'm still sure its terrible. I am currently working on the next chapter, so you should expect it soon.


	3. Spiced Wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inquisitor invites Cassandra to her quarters for a some wine and a chat, and things get heated.

Wine. Lots and lots of wine. Cassandra wasn’t sure where the wine began or ended, it was everywhere. The day started out simple enough. She awoke to the usual knock on her door, which opened to reveal the same sunny expression the Inquisitor was famous for, box of candies and Gardenias as the flowers this time. She accepted the gifts and thanked Trevelyan. Then, those words came out of her mouth, which seemed so simple at the time.

“Meet me in my quarters after dinner?” She had asked. Cassandra, of course, agreed, remembering a few nights prior where she had been served spiced wine and the two talk about nothing and everything for hours on end, and wouldn’t have minded a repeat.

Dinner came, and went, and she found herself climbing up the stairs to the Inquisitor’s door, and then more steps, and then lots of bottles of wine littering the floor, still full and corked.

“Where did you get all this wine?” She asked in disbelief. Inquisitor Trevelyan gave her a wry smile and shrugged.

“A bribe, I believe. All I know is that last night Josephine and a handful of servants came in carrying boxes upon boxes of Antivan wine. Why let it go to waste?”

“There are others who are far better had drinking than I, such as The Iron Bull, and his Chargers.” The Seeker countered, eliciting another shrug from the younger woman.

“They don’t appreciate it like you do.”

“Why is it that every time I meet up with you, you manage to coax me into drinking?”

“I think that’s just a coincidence, dear Seeker.” The Inquisitor popped the cork on the nearest bottle, and poured both of them a glass.

“I’m having a strange sense of deja-vu.” Said Cassandra, accepting the glass and studying its contents, while Trevelyan sat beside her on the couch.

“Now, how was your day?” Inquisitor Trevelyan asked. This seemed to shock Cassandra, who’s head shot up in surprise.

“You want to know how my day was?”

“Well, yeah…”

Still a little hesitant from disbelief, Cassandra began telling the blonde about her day, which turned into a rant about Varric, which turned into a discussion about a book that Cassandra was reading. Every now again, Trevelyan would put in her opinion of something, but she was mostly satisfied listening to the older woman speak. Cassandra’s accent was hypnotic, and the wine was started to get to her head.

Maker, she couldn’t stop staring at Cassandra’s lips. They were so pink and soft-looking and enticing, and Trevelyan had to stop herself from leaning in and claiming them for her own. She was so busy staring at the other woman’s lips she didn’t even notice Cassandra had stopped talking, and was now watching the Inquisitor with wide eyes, a blush spreading across her face.

“Inquisitor?” Nervous. Why is she so nervous?

“Evelyn.” Trevelyan corrected, almost as though she were in a daze.

“Evelyn.” Cassandra repeated, testing out the name on her tongue, the Inquisitor’s eyes still watching her lips as she pronounce the name, exaggerated by the woman’s Nevarran accent. A brief glance into Evelyn’s eyes, and Cassandra was captivated by the firelight flickering in her brilliant green eyes. She flushed when she realized how close the two were, but she couldn’t will herself to pull away, not when Evelyn’s eyes were now meeting hers with a breath-taking ferocity.

Almost on instinct, she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Evelyn’s, surprising them both, but neither pulled away. The younger woman’s arms found their way up her thighs, and to her hips, squeezing them lightly.

Cassandra tasted of expensive wine and fire, a taste intoxicating enough for her to want more. The kiss started softly, shyly, and she found herself getting light-headed, her heart pounding, begging to be let out her chest as she pulled the Seeker closer, until she was practically straddling her.

“Evelyn.” Cassandra moaned, her hands flush against the younger woman’s breasts. Evelyn seized the moment to slip her tongue into her mouth, and push her down against the couch, until she was lying on her, hands exploring each other’s bodies as the kiss became more passionate and heated, air becoming thick with the scent of want.

Evelyn’s moaned cut through the fog of lust that clouded Cassandra’s mind, and suddenly her mind became clear, and she shot up, smacking her head against Evelyn’s in the process, causing her to yelp in surprise and fall onto to floor, dragging Cassandra with her.

She pushed herself off the floor in embarrassment, and saw the flush on her leader’s face, and her swollen lips. Her eyes widened at the realization of what had transpired that night, and she ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter (by at least 300 words). This is the first time I have ever done (almost) smut, but I realized part-way through that there is no way Cass would give herself over so easily, even with the influence of alcohol, so it's a bit shorter. Maybe in the next two or three chapters... Also, still not a romantic, and none of the kisses I have ever had have been fanfiction-worthy so I went on a limb here.


End file.
